“Europe is capable of addressing the crisis in this region in a comprehensive manner, integrating immediate relief efforts into a long-term strategic plan capable of receiving, protecting, supporting and integrating migrants” while “assisting developing countries so that no one is forced to emigrate”, he said.
The island of Lampedusa – which sits 90 miles (145km) off Tunisia’s coast – is home to a migrant reception centre that is overcrowded with challenging living conditions.
Those who make the journey often travel in poorly maintained and overcrowded vessels, making sea crossings more perilous for those aboard.
More than 1,400 people have died or gone missing while attempting to cross the Mediterranean this year, including 28 children, according to the UN’s International Organization for Migration.
New migrants, rescue officials, members of aid groups and the Italian Coast Guard were among those to gather to see the Pope.
The Pope “continues to accompany you, support you and encourage you”, he told the gathering.
“The pope’s visit speaks to every one of us,” Kandeh Abdourahman, a migrant who arrived in Lampedusa in 2015, told news agency Reuters.
It was “a reminder that our stories are seen, that welcome is not just a word but an act of humanity”, said Abdourahman, now a cultural mediator with the International Rescue Committee.
